Stone Angel
by Aerys Eli
Summary: Her room's been empty seven years and now she's legally dead. A statue marks her final resting place, but nothing is as it seems. SBGW
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: So as to avoid active sewage- I mean sue-age, I would like to state for all the world to hear that I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters. There. I said it. You can stop poking me in the back with that knife. glares**

_**Stone Angel:**_

_**Prologue**_

The stone angel glinted clean and white amongst all the tangled weeds and gnarled trees of this woodland grotto. Magic kept it unblemished and the plaque at its base still legible. The grave itself was empty. No one had been able to recover her body.

They all stood around the statue. Molly, Arthur, and four of the six Weasley boys. Harry and Hermione were there as well; she had practically been their sister. Sirius hung back from the grieving family. She had just been declared legally dead. Six years missing and now they were to legally except that she was gone. At first Sirius had felt awkward at the thought of coming to the small memorial. The more he had thought about it however, the more determined he was to go. She had been a good friend and he had a right to be there.

For some time they all just stood there, each thinking, sending their own private message to Ginny, wherever she was. Molly couldn't help it. She started to cry softly and clutched at Arthur for support. Tears leaked out of his eyes as he stroked her hair gently and let her away, back down the path to the Burrow.

Bill was still in Egypt, he couldn't get leave for a visit, but Charlie was there for him. He set an Egyptian Sand Rose in the soil at the base of the statue and pressed the dirt in over the roots. They wouldn't grow naturally around here, but Ginny had loved those during their trip to Egypt and with the right attention, one could grow here. Then, with tears in his eyes, Charlie kissed his fingertips and brushed them gently across the angel's check. Looking far older then he was, he followed his parents.

Percy, too, was absent, but he had come earlier in the week to pay his respects. Fred and George caught Sirius looking at them and rushed off before anyone else could see them crying. Hermione set an invitation to her and Ron's wedding at the statue's feet and Ron kissed Hermione softly. Harry just studied the angel for a moment, looked up at the sky, and murmured something to himself. He looked back at Sirius.

"Hey, d'you want to come with us? We're going to get a cup of tea… or a firewhiskey." He muttered the last bit so only Sirius, with his dog's ears, could hear.

Sirius smiled but shook his head. "You go on. I'm going to go home."

"Take care then."

Suddenly Ron hit himself in the head. "Oh! I nearly forgot. Here." He pulled another invitation out of his pocket.

"Thanks Ron."

"Wouldn't be right without you."

The three of them trooped off down through the undergrowth and Sirius watched them go, smiling. Four years and they seemed so grown up. Ron had finally gotten up the nerve to ask Hermione to marry him. Good. It seemed like just yesterday that they were bickering, but come to think of it, yesterday they probably _were_ bickering. Harry was almost as tall as Sirius. He and Ron were working as aurors, while Hermione was already head of Muggle Relations.

He glanced up at the angel's face and sighed. Where would Ginny be now if she was still here? Voices stirred in his memory and he sank down on the ground, head on his knees. He could still see it behind his eyelids.

"_Harry, no!"_

_Lucius laughed. Sirius watched, only half his mind on fighting Bellatrix. She shot a stunning spell at him. His shield spell shot it right back at her and she had to roll to the side, but she lost her footing and fell. Didn't matter. She hurled one nasty curse at him after another, keeping him just occupied enough to keep him from helping Harry. Various members of the Order were fighting around him, each locked in their own battles. Dumbledore was fighting Voldemort with such intense concentration you could feel the power make your hair stand on end from across the room._

_Lucius had Harry in a corner. Figuratively of course- the room was round. Harry had lost his wand. _

"_Now boy, since I can't **truly** kill you- yes, I know about that- I have a better plan." He shouted something Sirius couldn't really hear and a furious black and red bolt shot from the end of his wand, straight to the wall behind Harry. A gaping, swirling black and red vortex opened from the tapestry hanging there and began to suck at the air. Harry's shoes skidded backwards. He was about a foot away when…_

"_Harry!" A voice shrieked. A pair of delicate hands shoved him aside. Ginny threw him away from the vortex so it couldn't take him._

_Instead it took her._

_She disappeared in an instant, the hole closing behind her._

"_NO! Ginny!" He could hear someone screaming. It took him a second to realize it was him. He screamed, ripping his throat raw, before he fell silent._

"_Oh… poow thing," cackled Bellatrix in her horrible mock-babytalk, "Was she somebody special? Your new girlfriend? You always did like redheads. You and James. Lily and… what was her name? Anne?"_

_Sirius tightened his grip on his wand. Now he was angry. And no Deatheater would leave here alive if he had anything to do with it._

Of course they had turned to him when they were trying to find what happened to her. He had fallen trough the veil. He had been to another plane. He had come back. He had torn himself away from death and Lily and James and climbed back through the veil to life and love and blood. But he didn't know where she was. He'd even volunteered to go back through the veil, though he had known perfectly well that nobody would allow it.

He pounded a fist on the dirt, tears streaking unnoticed from his eyes. She was his _friend_ dammit! She had been the one he talked to when they were both left out of missions. They weren't allowed to fight until her seventh year, when it all came to a head. Her razor wit and sense of humor a perfect match for his. They had intelligent discussions and learned how to cook together. They had battled his wretched house until they won. Her understanding had been his solace during the hard times. She had been his friend.

He stood, slowly, and pulled a worn velvet box out of his pocket. Sirius sighed slightly, rubbed his eyes with his left hand and spoke to the angel- to Ginny.

"Hey Gin. I was cleaning out my old school trunk and I found this. It used to belong to a… a good…um…friend of mine." He slid open the box and lifted out a silver locket. "I, well, I thought you'd like it. Here." Reaching up, he fastened it around the angel's slender stone neck.

The clearing was growing dark, except for the angel which glowed with a soft pearly light. Sirius sighed again and brushed his thick black hair out of his eyes. He should be going. It was a long way home and he was tired. Straddling his motorbike, he soared off into the night sky towards home.

O

The kettle was whistling. The house was rather nice now. The horrid elf heads and that picture of his mother were gone, giving way to some soft furniture and a blue-tiled kitchen he was fond of. Yeah, that's right. Sirius, fond of something domestic. Well who said he had to be a rebel all the time. He was fond of raspberry scones and tea, especially when he was tired.

He had just set out the plate and cup at the worn oak table when someone knocked at the door. It was timid and soft and at first he thought he'd imagined it, but it came again, louder, a moment later.

Sirius heaved himself up and slowly made his way to the door. It'd been a rough day. Why did people have to show up now? All he wanted to do was eat his scones and be alone with his memories. He swung the door open.

"Yeah, who is i…"

It was Ginny Weasley.

**Author Note: I will be updating this regularly, at least once a week. It is a SB/GW fic, so if that offends you, you may want to stop reading here. You have been warned. wicked grin**


	2. Chapter One: A Rather Odd Situation

**Disclaimer: So as to avoid active sewage- I mean sue-age, I would like to state for all the world to hear that I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters. There. I said it. You can stop poking me in the back with that knife. /glares**

**_Chapter One:_**

**_A Rather Odd Situation._**

Ginny was locked face to face with Draco Malfoy, who had somehow ended up in this battle, alongside his father. His father was fighting Harry tooth and nail. In fact, just about everybody was caught up in desperate battles. The one thing she could say for hers was that Malfoy, while adept at curses, was not the best at improvisation. She rolled to the side and came up behind him, trying for an advantage.

Somebody screamed. "Harry, no!" She sighed mentally, somebody was always shouting "Harry, no!" at awkward moments during fights. Then she saw the cause of this new outurst. Something flew across the room and splintered against the far wall. It was Harry's wand. Bloody hell.

Lucius laughed. He had Harry trapped. She listened as hard as she could, trying to incapacitate Draco. "Now boy, since I can't truly kill you- yes, I know about that- I have a better plan." He shouted something loudly in Latin and she wrenched around in time to see a great red and black fire shoot from the end of his wand into the tapestry behind Harry. A great, whirling hole opened and Harry was being sucked back into it, his fingers grabbing for anything to keep him out of it.

"Ha! Gotcha!" Draco shouted, but before he could do whatever he had planned, she punched him hard in the guts and dove across the room towards Harry.

A shriek tore from her lips. "Harry!" She reached out and shoved him aside, past the vortex and onto the floor, out of its reach. At precisely the same moment she felt her legs and, in succession, her entire body sink into the vortex. It gave as if she had stepped into quicksand.

The great circular hall vanished from view as the stuff closed over her headand she could see only red and black, swirling madly around her. She felt as though she were falling, twisting around and around as if she was in a tornado. She was lost, she couldn't see. Voices were calling her name, hands were clutching at her robes, pulling at her. They wanted her. They wanted to conquer and control her, keep her with them. They were voices she knew, loved ones long gone. She even thought she heard Tom speaking to her.

_Come to me Ginny, come, come. We'll take care of you. Come, come. _A moment later it was lost among the other voices. _We'll be your friends. Play with us, play. Stay with us, stay. We'll have fun. Sing, sing. We'll make you sing with us, or you can scream with us. Sing to scream. But no one can hear you. No one can help you. We hear you Ginny. We love you Ginny. Stay with us, play with us, sing with us, scream with us. __  
_

She clapped her hands over her ears, but she could hear them inside her head, a terrifying, horrible chorus. Ginny screamed and screamed. They wouldn't leave her alone. She was going to go mad. She was…

Thump.

She landed hard on a wood floor. The voices were gone. The colors were gone. Bright sunlight streamed through the window and the caught in the slightly dusty air. Slowly, she sat up, rubbing her eyes, throat hurting from screaming so long. It was Dumbledore's office. Ginny didn't understand. How could this be? Where was she?

"Pardon me, miss." A quiet voice spoke from behind her and she jumped nearly five feet in the air.

Looking around quickly, she saw a pair of half-moon spectacles and curious blue eyes gazing at her. It took her a moment before her tired brain comprehended what she was seeing. "Dumbledore!" She gasped. He looked politely curious. "Professor Dumbledore! How did we get here? What happened with the battle, and Lucius Malfoy's evil vortex-thingamajiggy, and…"

He raised a hand to stop her flood. "I'm sorry miss, but who are you?"

"What? Sir, I'm Ginny Weasley! What's going on?" Her head ached. This was _not_ turning out to be a good day.

"That is what I am trying to find out. Ginny Weasley… Are you by any chance related to Arthur Weasley?"

She nodded quickly, very confused. "Of course! He's my Dad."

"Your father? I think you should tell me just how you arrived here. Only the very specific details of the thing you think carried you to my office, please."

"Um… okay… It was this great, red and black, swirling vortex that sort of sucked me into it. Then I just spun around in this great bunch of black and red and I heard all these voices." She shuddered. "Then I got dumped here. Professor, what's going on?"

He helped her to her feet. "I'm not precisely sure. I suspect, however, that you have traveled here from the future." He looked totally calm. Indeed, he didn't appear to find this at all out of the ordinary.

"WHAT? What year is it?" She winced, instantly regretting her decision to shout as her head reminded her loudly that it was in pain. _Yeah, yeah. I get you._ she thought resentfully.

"1983" he said calmly, offering her a toffee out of a dish on his desk. Ginny shook her head.

"Oh man. What am I supposed to do? We were fighting…" He held up a hand to silence her again. "…Right. Don't tell you too much of the future. I remember that. Okay, so what am I supposed to do? Can I just take a time turner and go back?"

Dumbledore slowly shook his head, deliberating. "I very much doubt a time turner would work, as I suspect it was dark magic that brought you here. What year were you in, in your own time? I am right in supposing you were in school?"

"Yes. I'm a seventh year." She sighed. "I guess now I'll never graduate." She didn't know why she was so calm. Her whole life had just been sucked away by some piece of crap Malfoy conjured up. I must be in a state of complete shock. It wouldn't surprise me. Merlin, but I hope the others are okay.

"Of course not!" Dumbledore smiled at her. "I see no reason why you should not rejoin Hogwarts to complete your final year. Do you speak any other languages by any chance?"

"I can speak French decently well. Why?"

He nodded his approval. "It will be far easier to explain away your sudden appearance if you have simply 'transferred from another school', for instance, Beauxbatons. Now my dear, will you be able to answer to another name, or would you prefer to go by your current name with a new surname?"

"Can I just change my last name? I mean, it isn't like anyone here will know who I am. I'm not going to be born for years. Oh, wait. How about my middle name? Anne. What about my last name?" She smiled and shook her head as he offered her a toffee. Same old Dumbledore.

"I would suggest something along the lines of 'Warrington' or some such. It seems to fit. You were going to Beauxbatons but when your family moved over the summer, they wanted you closer to home and you agreed to come here."

Ginny's tired brain had no trouble accepting how fast things were moving. A thought slowly formed. "What about school supplies? All I have is the robes I'm wearing. And my classes? Can I still take all the N.E.W.T.s I got into?"

"And what might those be Miss Warrington?" The name sounded strange to her ears. She shook her head, trying to get herself used to it.

"Transfiguration, Potions, Charms, and Defense Against the Dark Arts," she recited. After her dealings with the Order, she'd wanted to be an Auror, to help as much as she could. Sirius had helped her when she was in her fifth year to pass her O.W.L.s sufficiently. She had been shocked when she got into N.E.W.T. Potions. Snape still glowered at her, but he tolerated her. After all, she wasn't Harry Potter.

Dumbledore nodded appreciatively. "That shouldn't be a problem. As for your school things, I believe I can manage something. No luxuries, I'm afraid, but we'll be able to provide you with books and robes until we find a way to get you back." His face grew serious. "However, there are some things you should know about the situation here.

"I don't know where you're from and I don't want you to tell me. I'm rather well-adjusted to time travel, but you mustn't tell anyone anything that could affect the future. You must not interfere with a set course of events though I see no reason for you not to function as a normal student. This does include playing Quidditch, if there are openings on the house teams. Your robes indicate that you were a Gryffindor, so I'm expecting you to fit in well there. I will inform the head of the house, Professor McGonagall, of the situation and she will inform the students. Now there are some more serious aspects to the situation in the wizarding world at the present.

"Listen closely- I don't know if you know about Lord Voldemort, though I suspect he will be infamous for many years to come. News of your travel could be important to him, I don't know, but you must not even hint to anyone that such a thing is possible. For now though, I think rest will do you the most good. If you will proceed to Gryffindor tower, I will have a house elf send some things for you up there. The password is 'chocolate silk'. I'm sorry to rush you along like this, but I wish to reduce the temptation to ask you about the future."

She told him she understood and made her way as quickly as possible to Gryffindor tower. Mercifully, she didn't run into anyone. Ginny wasn't sure she could take much more just now.

O

Ginny woke early in the morning. She glanced out the window to see the sun barely coming over the horizon. It took her the space of stretching and splashing water on her face before she remembered where she was. Groaning softly, she collapsed back onto the bed.

_Great._ she thought. _I'm now stuck in the generation of my parents at Hogwarts for Merlin knows now long, with Dumbledore and the school paying for my clothes. Splendid. _She wouldn't even let herself think about the battle she had left. How could she know if they had one or lost? Thinking about it would only drive her mad. To distract herself, she instead got up softly and looked around.

The dorm looked the same as it always had. Quiet and dim in the early morning light, with shadows cast from each of the beds, all of which had their hangings pulled back. Feeling slightly awkward, she glanced at the sleeping girls. The girl in the bed her right was snoring softly. She had a round, good-natured face and soft brown hair that was spread in a curly halo around her head, reminding Ginny uncomfortably of Hermione. On her other side there was another red head, though her hair was a shade darker and several inches shorter then Ginny's. The other two girls were blonde; one with her hair tightly plaited and the other with a multitude of freckles and hair so short that it spiked naturally.

Well she would have to wait for them to wake up before she could learn any more about them. Ginny shrugged to herself and opened the trunk at the foot of her bed, looking for clothes. She had to stifle an ironic laugh when she found that what Dumbledore had described as "not luxuries" were in far better condition then pretty much all the clothes she had ever owned.

At the bottom of her trunk, underneath a schoolbag and a stack of books that would have made Hermione proud, she found a scrap of paper with the password to the girl's baths charmed for her eyes only. She tiptoed out of the room to get ready for what she was sure would be an interesting day.

**Author Note: This is not going to be a time turner fic, we swears it my precious. We swears it. There is much more to the story then that, so please continue reading. The whole back-in-time thing doesn't last very long. Oooh! Spoilers! lol. I'm such a wierdo. Just ignore me. :D**

_Mrs. Green and Arella Hallo- I can't believe somebody actually read this thing! So okay, I'll keep writing. Just for you guys. heehee. I feel cool._

_Susire- wow. You sound so much like me, its rather frightening. You made me laugh so hard when I read this, I nearly fell left off my chair, which would be bad considering I'm upstairs next to a window. / I have a whip too! I think I should lend it to Ginny. That'd be an interesting fic is getting inspired Anyway, from one raspberry scone fan to another- thanks for making my day!_

**Coming soon to a computer near you: Ginny meets some people she never expected to see (no, there is an actual surprise here!). She also meets someone she thinks can help, but gets an unpleasant surprise when she speaks up.**


	3. Chapter Two: Seeing Sirius

**Disclaimer: Does anyone here think I own Harry Potter and Co? Didn't think so. Anyway, so as to avoid active sewage- I mean sue-age, I would like to state for all the world to hear that I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters. There. I said it. You can stop poking me in the back with that knife. /glares**

**_Chapter Two:_**

**_Seeing Sirius_**

By the time she got back, the dormitory was empty. In truth, Ginny was a little relieved. It had struck her during her bath that this was about the time that both her and Harry's parents were in school and that sleeping redhead had looked awfully familiar... Sighing, she shrugged on her bag, stuffed with the books for today's classes. She wasn't sure how long she'd be here, but she was resigned to using the time to her best possible advantage. _Hermione would be proud of me_, she thought, and grinned, feeling slightly better.

The Great Hall was already packed with students. Ginny would rather have just skipped breakfast altogether, but now that her headache was gone, her stomach had taken up its raucous cry, reminding her that she hadn't eaten since early yesterday. The smell of bacon drew her into the hall like a magnet.

Despite her efforts to find a seat not surrounded by students, she somehow ended up sitting amongst the very girls she shared her dormitory with. The redhead was the first to notice her and smiled broadly.

"Hi! You must be Anne. Professor McGonagall told us all about you yesterday. I'm just glad to have another redhead around." The girl winked. "Anyway, my name's Lily Evans. I'm head girl at Hogwarts. It's really nice to meet you." Ginny started to spoon oatmeal into her bowl to steady her shaking hands. A coldness had run down her back. She could barely look at Lily.

"I'm G... Anne Warrington. I'm so glad you can show me around." She added a slight French accent to her words. After all, she was supposed to be from Beauxbatons. This was going to be tiring.

"Here, let me introduce you to the other seventh-years," Lily said, noticing the others watching them curiously. "This is Alice Walker," the short brown-haired girl waved, "Dorcas Meadows," the girl with the plaited hair smiled sweetly around a glass of pumpkin juice, "and next to you, with that ridiculous hat is-"

"Andromeda Black." The tall girl interrupted, sweeping the tall, pointed purple hat with green stars from her spiked hair and shoving a hand towards Ginny with a wide grin spread across her face. Ginny shook her hand in a daze. _**Tonk's mom**? No bloody way. And... _she glanced again at Alice, who was smiling good-naturedly at her, _Neville's mother too? Everyone went to school together! Well... that's not that surprising, but still._

A voice suddenly rang out. "Hey Evans!" A tall boy with messy black hair and glasses slipped into the space between Lily and Dorcas.

"I told you not to call me that anymore, James. For heaven's sake, we're going out, can't you at least refer to me by my first name?" Lily playfully stuck her tongue out at him. "I'm not speaking to you anymore."

"Oh?" James said, raising an eyebrow. "Then I guess actions will just have to speak louder then words." And with that, he planted such a kiss on her that the other girls all groaned and went back to eating. Ginny, however, watched in amazed amusement. They were so cute. And they reminded her slightly of her brother and Hermione. Odd, that.

"Merlin, James. Lay off her, will you? Some of us want to actually keep our breakfasts down. Save that sort of thing for the Astronomy Tower." Lily pulled away, embarrassed, as Ginny turned to stare at the newcomers. The rest of the seventh-year boys, she assumed. A short, pudgy boy that could only be Peter, a quiet-looking fellow with brown hair (Lupin), a brawny fellow with straw-colored hair (she guessed this was Frank Longbottom, as he and Alice kept shooting eachother meaningful looks)... somebody was missing...

There. The one who had spoken was on the other side of the table from them. She didn't have to put a second thought into who he could be. Tall and dark-haired, Sirius leaned casually on a pillar with the ease of a panther that knows its territory. He looked so much like the Sirius she knew that for a moment she was disoriented again. He, meanwhile, eyed her curiously. "Who's this, Lil?"

"Oh, that's Anne. You know, the transfer Professor McGonagall told us about. Anne, this is Sirius. Over there..." Ginny didn't listen to the rest of the introductions, barely acknowledging the others' waved greetings. She just kept watching Sirius. He was such a welcome sight.

Suddenly Andromeda checked her watch. "Bloody hell! Class starts in five minutes! We've got to run."

Lily, who had apparently appointed herself Ginny's protector, stood and stretched. "What class do you have first Anne?"

"Um..."she checked her schedule. "NEWT DatDA" she read, only remembering her accent at the last moment.

"Hey, that's what I've got. I'll take you there. It's easy to get lost in this school." Sirius winked cheekily at her. "But you've got me for a guide, so no getting lost on my watch." She followed him out of the hall as the group scattered to their various classes.

She wanted to talk to him so badly she could hardly stand it. It was torture to be around these people, to know what was going to happen, and not be able to do anything to change it. Did Dumbledore even understand what he was asking her to do? She moistened her lips with her tongue. She didn't have to talk to him. She just wanted to be close to him. She wanted him to help her hold her sanity in this world, just as he had in the future.

Ginny hung back. All the rest of the students were gone, all sitting in class. They were very, very late. Still...

"Sirius." He turned around, curiously. She suddenly felt very light-headed and put out a hand to steady herself against the wall. He looked at her, a concerned look on his face.

"Anne? Are you okay? Do you need to go to the Hospital Wing?" Her hand slipped on the wall and she wavered, dizzy. She would have fallen too, had not he caught her elbow in one hand to steady her. Ginny looked up at him, into those eyes that she knew so well but did not recognize her. "Sirius..." she whispered.

And she kissed him. She didn't know why. She certainly never would have before. A little part of her brain pinched her and told her that she was stupid. She was trapped in an era that wasn't hers, kissing Ron's best friend's godfather and one of her closest friends, but the rest of her didn't care.

Sirius leaned into the kiss until Ginny was pinned up against the wall. Everywhere their bodies touched felt like they were on fire. He didn't seem to realize what he was doing for a moment. Then his eyes widened and he pulled away from her. He looked at her in astonishment. "What'd you do that for? Not that I didn't enjoy it, mind, but still."

She had to tell him. This was the perfect time. No one was around. No one would have to know. Then he could fix all this. Make the future a better place. James and Lily would still be alive- Alice and Frank too. Ginny remembered somebody showing around an old picture back at Grimault Place. _This is Dorcas Meadows- Voldemort killed her personally_. "Sirius- I have to tell you something. It's going to sound crazy but-" Her words were choked off. It felt like there was a hand clasped tightaround her throat. She couldn't talk. She could barely breathe. Ginny started coughing uncontrollably.

"Anne- what's going on? Do you need some water?" Sirius reached out towards her again, but she shook her head. She was fine... she was fine... the room swung dangerously around her head. Ginny reached out to brace herself against the wall and felt a sharp sting on her palm. She'd cut herself on a jagged piece of stone. Looking down at the blood welling from the cut, her coughing stirred. Instead, a panick was rising in the pit of her stomach.

The blood spread faster then she would have thought possible. It was growing and pulling bits of... dark? shadow? dirt?... from the air to join the deep red color. It flowed across her skin in a black and red swirling pattern. It closed over her whole body and she couldnt fight it. It closed over her eyes last and the final thing she saw before sinking back into that horrible netherplace was Sirius' bewildered eyes, staring at her.

O

Sirius stared at where Anne had just vanished. This was the most randomly disturbing morning he could've imagined. A beautiful red-haired foreign exchange student had kissed him passionately in the hall, then started coughing furiously, cut her hand, and vanished into a black and red void.

He must be dreaming. He hoped he was. Well... except for the kiss part. Okay, so he hoped he had been knocked unconscious after kissing Anne. There. Any second he would wake up in the hospital wing.

And... go.

Ooookay, so never mind that then.

Then the world went black.

O

Dumbledore stood in the seventh-year Gryffindor boy's dormitory, looking out the window thoughtfully. He'd been forced to perform some rather awkward magic at the last minute. When Sirius, Lily, and the others woke up, they would think Miss Weasley was all simply a dream.

He sighed and rubbed a hand thoughtfully over his eyes. He didn't know how she came to be here, but, wherever she was now, he hoped she was okay.

**Author Note: Heh. Told you so. This was short and kind of fluffy, but my moods change so drastically, its only to be expected. It isn't a time-turner fic though, and isn't that what's really important? I'm managing to get a lot more writing done then I thought I would, courtesy of boring college classes, so I'm trying to turn out a new installment every couple of days. I would love it if I could get some ideas/constructive criticism/miscelanious comments about whips/etc. I've been having a writer's block issue lately, so encouragement is readily welcomed. Flames will be used to dry my hair (its raining outside). with 3 -> online love**

**Coming soon to a computer near you: Well this just keeps getting better and better. Blood, coal, and fire lie directly ahead. How much grief can Ginny take? She sees the strongest man she knows reduced to tears that no one ever saw. Also making a cameo appearance is... the flying motorcycle! You won't be smiling when you see it though.**


	4. Chapter Three: Blood and Ashes

**Disclaimer: Does anyone here think I own Harry Potter and Co? Didn't think so. Anyway, so as to avoid active sewage- I mean sue-age, I would like to state for all the world to hear that I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters. There. I said it. You can stop poking me in the back with that knife. /glares**

**_Chapter Three_**

**_Blood and Ashes_**

Black and red. That's all she could see, again. Swirling vortex around her body. Wrapping around her. Caressing her. She could half-feel hands pulling at her feet and legs and hair and robes. She screamed again, in rage and frustration. She had been so close. She had almost been able to fix everything. To be that close and then not be allowed to help or do anything... Comprehension dawned, rearing it's ugly head.

Lucius had intended the spell for Harry. She was seeing his parents. She hadn't seen hers, though she had assumed they were there. This spell... it must have been specially tailored for Harry. Everyone she had seen, with the possible exception of Frank, Alice, and Andromeda, were strongly tied to Harry in one way or another- parents, godparents, friends, teachers. And then, when she had tried to fix things, she had been taken away, unable to make any difference. Torture. That was what that was. Torture.

The voices whispered. _Torture, torture, torture you? We love you. Love is pain. Torture pain. We love you. So we torture. Torture you. Torture because of love. Love because of torture. All that torture is is love. All that love is torture. Love, love, we'll care for you. We'll love you forever. We promise, we promise. Torture, torture, torture you?_

She couldn't stand this. Screaming, she tried to cover her ears, but the "hands" pulled her hands away. There was no release there was only...

A warm light spread over her face.

_What?_

This time Ginny didn't fall to the floor. She floated a few feet above the ground, robes swaying gently around her feet. Unlike the last time, her headache wasn't overpowering and she quickly looked around to see where she was now.

The room was small but well lit and warm from a fire that crackled merrily in the hearth. A long oak table sat in the middle of the space with high-backed chairs around it. The room was empty but for a beautiful red-haired woman pouring out a glass of fire whiskey.

Ginny gasped. Lily was much older now, her face creased with worry that counterbalanced the defined laugh lines around her mouth. She gulped the drink and put the glass back down, putting out her other hand to lean heavily on one of the chairs.

"Lily!" Ginny cried, running towards her.

Her outstretched hand went right through the woman. Lily didn't react. Indeed, she straightened and left the room without a second glance. Ginny moved to follow her into the kitchen beyond, but stopped as the door swung open again behind her.

_Now who is it?_ She thought tiredly. She only had to look at the newcomers and her question was answered.

James Potter looked just as Ginny imagined Harry would in a few years. His previously merry face was serious, weighed down with the same worry that had afflicted Lily. Behind him became Sirius and Pettigrew. The pudgy man was sweating profusely despite the draft from the open door, his eyes darting around the room nervously. Sirius, Ginny was amused to see, was wearing muggle clothes: a black t-shirt and leather pants. He looked so tired that Ginny wanted to throw her arms about him. She realized what she was thinking and blushed. _SIRIUS. _She reminded herself. _Harry's GODFATHER. Old enough to be your father. Stop it Ginny. Concentrate._

None of the men paid the slightest attention to the blushing, floating redhead watching them as they settled themselves around the table. Sirius immediately reached for the whiskey and Ginny groaned. She hated that habit.

James leaned back precariously in his chair and sighed. "Right. We don't have much time. Padfoot, do you really think this'll work?"

"Yeah. It's got to. He'd never think that we'd do this. Shouldn't we at least tell Dumbledore about the switch though?"

Ginny's breath caught in her throat. Were they talking about what she thought they were?

James removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes tiredly. 'No. We better not. Here, we know we're secure. We'll do it now and we'll tell him at the next meeting when we can pull him aside."

"Whatever you say, James. I'm ready if you are." Both men looked quizzically at Pettigrew, waiting for an answer.

He turned bright red and pulled out a dirty hankerchief to mop his face with. His voice squeaked painfully as he answered. "Y-yes. Of- of course. Anytime. The sooner the better." His eyes flicked eagerly from one to the other.

James glanced back at Sirius and nodded, almost imperceptably. Sirius reached down and pulled a knife out of his boot. It glinted dully in the firelight. He pressed it to his palm and hissed as it sliced a neat line in his skin. Gritting his teeth against the sting, he tossed it to James, who did the same. The pressed their hands together and James mumbled something Ginny couldn't quite catch. A bright flash of blue light illuminated the room competely for a split second and left sunspots in her eyes.

Then James handed the knife over to Pettigrew, who screwed up his eyes as if preparing to be shot, not to slit open his hand. His sweating increased, flowing down his face as freely as the blood on his hand. James moved towards him, hand outstretched.

"No!" She shouted, throwing herself at them, intending... she didn't know whether she was trying to clock Pettigrew or just knock James out of the way. It didn't matter either way. She went flying through the table and skidded to halt midair on the other side. Not caring how or why, she fell to her knees, begging. "Please, Sirius, James. Please! Don't. Anything. Don't. Lily! Comeback. Don't let them. Sirius, please, look at him,don't trust him! Don't..." Too late.

Unable to hear her, James pressed his and Peter's hands together, palm to palm and mumbled again. This time the light was green and for a moment Peter's eyes glowed as well. A slight smile spread on his face, though he quickly quashed it. James slumped back in his chair, looking, if possible, even more exhausted.

Sirius had downed another glass of whiskey and stretched. "We should go James, before anything happens."

"What's going to happen? It's still protected, we just switched secret-keepers." Ginny growled in fury, unheard by the men.

"I dunno, but we might as well. I do want to see Harry before I go though." Sirius stood and stretched, looking, for all the world, like a great black panther.

"Way ahead of you Sirius."said a pretty female voice. Lily pushed open the door with her hip, hands full of a squirming black-haired baby. 'Harry? Your godfather wants to see you." She smiled and her face lit up.

Unnoticed by the others, Pettigrew was reclining in his chair, idly fingering the cut on his palm, a wide smile spread across his face.

"No..." Ginny whispered, as the black and redclosed over her face again.

She couldn't take this. This was horrible. They had no idea what they were doing. Sirius and James and Lily. They didn't know they were signing the Potter's death warrant. Ginny shut her eyes to close out the colors swirling about her and tried to turn deaf ears to the murmuring voices. She would go insane. This was just too much for her. She had always fancied herself strong, but only about a day had gone by and her heart had already been torn apart.

And she dropped onto the grass. Face down on her hands and knees she stared at the soft light glinting off the blades of grass. "Okay, fine."she straightened up and got to her feet. She could handle this. She _could._

Flickering red light flowed across the lawn where she stood. Ginny looked over to see where it was coming from and her jaw dropped. A small house was in ruins. Parts of it were on fire. Above it, hovering in the blackness of the night sky, a great skull with a serpent coming out of its mouth shed slight green light down on the wreckage. Wordlessly Ginny threw herself across the grass towards the house. She didn't even need to see the signbearing the legend"Godric's Hollow" to know where she was. Her eyes scanned the rubble for any sign of life. When she caught a glimpse of red hair under a timber, she tried to lift it but dropped it with a grunt of pain when it scorched her fingers.

Apparently she was solid again. Well at least she could be more useful this time.

Suddenly white light flooded the scene. Two large spots of light were coming towards her out of the sky. It couldn't be... crap. She flew to the safety of the darkness under the nearby trees and hid, watching and waiting for what she knew was coming.

A great gleaming black motorbike swooped down and landed on the lawn, not five feet from where she had been standing just moments before. Sirius slipped off it, his hair in complete disarray from the wind. His eyes swept the scene, taking in every horrible inch of damage. He stepped forward and bent to pic something up- something Ginny couldn't see from where she was. She quietly slipped out from her hiding place in the trees and took a few hesitant steps towards him.

He was holding James glasses, one lense shattered, the frames smeared with ash. His head bent and his shoulders began to shake, gently at first, but with increasing hysteria. Tears flooded down his cheeks, making his face glow wetly in the firelight. He shook from head to toe and under his tears, his face was whiter then a ghost. She stepped up behind him and put a hand on his shoulder. Sirius snapped his head around to look at her, but relaxed slightly when he saw her.

"Anne... I knew this had to be a dream. A nightmare." He sounded so desperate. So completely lost and lonely and scared. She put her arms around him and just held him, tears streaming down her face to mirror those on his. His body was trembling, shaking so hard, she could barely stand it.

They might have stayed that way forever, her trying to comfort him in what he thought was merely a nightmare, had not a large figure stepped slightly towards them from the other side of the house. "Sirius? Is 'at you?" Hagrid was illuminated by the light of the fire still burning in the ruins. He carried a bundle in his arms that could only be Harry. Eager to keep him from seeing her, Gin slipped quickly behind Sirius, so he was shielding her from Hagrid's view.

Sirius took a step towards Hagrid. "Give Harry to me, Hagrid. I'm his godfather."

"Na, I can't. I got me orders straight from Dumbledore. He says I'm to take Harry straight to 'im."

Sirius made as if he were going to protest, but thinking back, Ginny touchedhis back lightly. "Don't," she murmured, "Think, please. This isn't just a dream. Everyone will think you did this. They think you were the secret keeper. You have to run. Please Sirius. I know you don't know me yet, but trust me. Please." He paused for a moment, then nodded, almost inperceptably.

He spoke slowly, as though around a great lump in his throat. "Take my motorbike, Hagrid. I won't be needing it any more." He tossed the keys back onto the seat of the bike.

"Right. Sorry Sirius. I've got ter be goin' now." As Hagrid was distracted picking his way across the rubble, Ginny reached up and kissed Sirius swiftly on the cheek, before fleeing into the trees again. Sirius looked after her for a moment, smiled shakily through his tears at Hagrid, and turning, walked away down the path to the road.

Ginny watched him go from the shadows where she stood. Hagrid's departure went completely unnoticed. Tears streamed down her face as she watched Sirius determinedly walking down the path. She knew what had happened and she knew what would happen. She was trapped. Trapped in this hellhole designed to drive Harry mad. Instead it was she witnessing this. And there was nothing she could do to help.

She bit her lip so hard she could taste blood and her lip burned and stung as the salt from her tears mingled with it. The flames were creating dizzying patterns as they reflected in her tears and her grief was such that she hardly noticed as the coal and blood-coloured tendrils swirled up to consume her again.

**Author Note: ...wow... angst-aliscious. Huh. Well the next one's gonna be a little better hopefully.Anyway, I have comments to respond to this time. **

_ExtremeDancer and Bungle-in-the-Jungle (I love your name lol)- This is far from the end of the story. I will indeed explain what is going on, all in my own sweet time. A bit more is explained in this chapter then in the previous ones. Ginny's guess is correct, if that helps. _

_ShadowOnTheMoon-Oh one of the cool name, I salute you. I know Bellatrix's (EDIT: I spelled it Beatrix! AH!)comment doesn't make sense anymore. I'll have to fix that at some point. Yes, she was origionally staying longer. The origional draft of this had her staying all seven years in the same place, growing up, and witnessing all of this first hand. Then the time turner cliche made me scrap that plan. Thanks for the compliments. I really enjoy getting reviews, especially those with constructive criticism. But I've dragged this on long enough. On to the dumbass preview thing!_

**Coming soon to a random fanfic-generating monitor near you: Ginny's having so much fun she can hardly stand it. Well... no to the fun, yes to the hardly being able to stand it. She's slowly discovering that her feelings for some people aren't what she thought they were. Ahead- a mysterious "gas explosion", that STUPID hat (lime green, my god!), and a visit to Azkaban.**


	5. Chapter Four: Glass and Lime Green

**Disclaimer: Does anyone here think I own Harry Potter and Co? Didn't think so. Anyway, so as to avoid active sewage- I mean sue-age, I would like to state for all the world to hear that I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters. There. I said it. You can stop poking me in the back with that knife. /glares**

**_Chapter Four_**

**_Glass and Lime Green_**

Ginny was still crying when the hell-portal released her again. The voices didn't even bother her this time. She hadn't noticed that it took barely no time to be released again onto the hard asphalt. Resigned, she shoved a fist intoher faceand tried to... she didn't know... grind the tears out of her eyes or something. Anything would be better then what she had just seen, though she had a tentative guess as to where she was now.

Straightening stubbornly, she looked around. Solid again, she stood in the middle of a crowded city street full of muggles. Reaching for her wand, she was startled to find it missing and her clothes cut in muggle style and cleanly pressed, unlike her soot-stained Hogwarts robes of the last situation. The people bustled busily around her, going about their daily business, taking next to no notice of thered-eyed girl standing stock still in the middle of the road.

Suddenly, a rustle seemed to move through the people. A man, panting hard and soaked in sweat from head to foot, was scurrying against the moving pedestrian traffic. He had a slender wodden rod stuck haphazardly through his belt and kept glancing behind him as he ran.

"Stop!"a voice shouted. Though Ginny couldn't see who it was, the voice sent shivers down her spine and she knew precisely who it was. After all their time together, how could she _not_ know?

"Oh no..." she whispered, watching dazedly, too wretched to even try to do anything this time.

The crowd parted, forming a constantly shifting circle around two men. The plump, sweat-soaked one stopped, blocked from moving by a line of curious muggles all peering at him with nearly identical expressions of perplexity on their faces.

Across from him stood Sirius.

His face was stark white with rage and hate twisted his handsome features. "Peter..." he hissed, "What have you done?"

Ginny swung to look at Pettigrew. He too had grown very pale, looking positively terrified. His eyes darted around the crowd and she thought she saw him smile very slightly. Suddenly his shoulders began to shake.

Tears welled up in his eyes and his whole body convulsed in fake sobs. "Lily and James, Sirius! Lily and James! How could you?" And quick as the rat he was, he whipped out his wand and mumbled something. Before Sirius could get his wand out to do anything, the entire street blew apart.

Several things happened at once. The force knocked Sirius onto his back. Pettigrew exploded into a shower of blood and bits of gore which splattered the ground where he had been standing. Seven muggles who had been closest to where the asphalt had exploded just as Pettigrew had, dying too quickly to feel any lasting pain. Four muggles were hit with various flying debris, and knocked sprawling, bleeding heavily and totally unconscious as they quickly bled to death. An old man diagonal from Ginny was sliced nearly in half by a flying sign dislodged in the eruption. She could almost hear the squishy thud as he hit the ground. Feeling a sharp, white-hot pain bloom in her stomach, she gasped and looked down.

A large chunk of glass was portruding from her stomach as blood blossomed over the front of her pink(?) sweater and down onto her slacks. Her body sank slowly to the ground, while she remained standing.

It was one of the oddest sensations Ginny had ever experienced and, for Ginny, that was saying something. She felt like she was lying on the ground, stomach slashed open, but she saw out of eyes still standing. She looked down and saw a girl about her age, though a complete stranger, lying on the ground, black hair strewn about her face, eyes wide and staring. Slowly, she lost all feeling for the body on the ground and looked up again.

Chaos reigned along the previously normal street. Of Pettigrew, there was no sign, save the bloody bits on the ground and some scraps of his robe. Sirius sat on the pavement at the edge of a great crater in the road, staring into it blankly. His eyes slowly swept up and settled on where the rat had been standing.

He started to laugh. First he just chuckled softly, then with increasing intensity and hysteria, until it raised to a hideous shrieking laugh that pierced Ginny's ears and made her heart ache. Wizards were arriving now, members of the Magical Law Enforcement Squad. She even thought she saw Cornelius Fudge among them, lime green bowler hat apparent even now. _Has he ALWAYS worn that thing?_ she thought, nonsensically. She felt strange, standing here, seemingly invisible and insubstancial above the body she had inhabited until a moment ago.

She wasn't sure how long she stood there, watching as they bound Sirius who was still laughing and threw him into a large black crate-like cell attached to several broomsticks. Suddenly she felt something tugging at her feet. Startled, she looked down again and saw that the girls blood was flowing up around her feet, just as her own had that day at Hogwarts however long ago. She closed her eyes and held her breath, praying that this time it would go quickly.

It didn't.

Ginny never even realized she was screaming as she tore at her hair and flailed wildly against the hands that gripped her.

O

Ginny was floating again. She heaved a sigh of relief. This meant she wouldn't have to worry about hiding or dying or _kissing him_, her mind whispered to her. She squirmed slightly and squashed that thought to the back of her brain. More serious (_no pun intended _she thought wryly) things were going on here then... then... then whatever she felt about him. Her own sanity for instance. And figuring out how to escape this hellhole.

Well then... Where on Earth was she now? She looked around and froze.

Oh goodness.

Oh goodness gracious great balls of floating sherbet. With acid pops on top.

Ooookay. So floating, but not invisible. This was an interesting departure from the other times. She blinked a few times to clear her vision. Nope, didn't work. Definately not invisible. In fact, judging by people staring, her robes, which she was back wearing, must be more ripped then she thought.

That or they were just startled by the pale, floating readhead.

It took her another moment before she actually realized where she was. Yes, a few people were staring at her, but most were rocking slowly, staring at their hands or the walls. The walls were rough-hewn, filthy stone. Great iron bars blocked off individual cells from the passage where Ginny floated. A guant, black haired woman was watching her intently, a look of intense interest on her face. Ginny shuddered slightly but didn't speak to her.

As she turned to look into the cell on the other side of her, she caught a glimpse down the passage and tensed. A great, floating, cloaked figure appeared to be looking directly at her. She tensed further, preparing for the wave of cold to wash over her body, but it didn't come. So she wasn't all there. Good. That meant it probably couldn't sense her.

Hesitantly, she looked away from the dementor and into the cell on her left. It took her a moment to realize who was staring at her now.

She prided herself on knowing Sirius anywhere by now. All the same, she was so accustomed to seeing the handsome, well-groomed Sirius, the ratty disgusting version was an unwelcome change of events.

He was staring at her blankly, face sunken, eyes hollow. His voice was a dry whisper.

"Anne? What are you?"

The woman cackled, eyes illuminated with a mad light. "Ooh... you guys know each other? How pwecious! Always nice to meet old friends..." Bellatrix. Ginny whirled to glare at her. "Shut up you damn whore." She was surprised at how calm and collected she sounded. So was Bellatrix. Her mouth snapped shut and she retreated to the far corner of her cell, shivering.

"She's mad." Sirius said in the same painfully dry voice. "We all are. I am. Go away. I don't know who you are or what you are. Go away. Leave me be."

"Sirius..." He shrank back, hiding his face in his hands. She watched him quietly for a moment, wondering what she could say to bring back the Sirius she knew, even a little bit. But every moment she waited, he seemed to draw further inside himself, retreating from her eyes as if they burned him.

At long last she spoke. "I know you didn't do it."

His head snapped up and his gaze sharpened. She continued. "You didn't do any of it. You didn't hurt Lily and James. You didn't kill those people. I know. You shouldn't be here."

"Yeah, so? Not much I can do about it. Not much I could do even if I got out."

Four words. She was losing him again. "That's what you think." He stared at her and a shadow of a smile played on his features.

All of a sudden, a door clanged, keys rattled, and a voice could be heard down the wall, talking animatedly.

Ginny looked around for a place to hide and finally flung herself _into_ the wall separating Sirius' cell and the one to his left. It completely hid her from view, though she could still see the passage.

She saw the lime green bowler hat long before she recognized the man wearing it. Fudge walked down the hall, pale and slightly sweaty in the prescence of the dementors walking... er... _floating_ around him. He carried a newspaper tucked under one arm- the Daily Prophet- and his pinstriped robes swung around his ankles.

Ginny was fading quickly. She recognized the feeling and knew she would be gone in a few moments. _Wait..._ she whispered to herself, straining to hold on just a little longer. She had to see what would happen.

Fudge was walking as pompously as was possible in the company of dementors, and as he passed Sirius' cell, Sirius reached one clawlike hand through the bars to catch at Fudge's cloak. He halted and Ginny caught a glimpse of the front page of the newspaper. It showed herself and her family waving merrily in front of pyramids.

"Excellent..." she breathed. She had heard Ron, Harry, and Hermione tell the story enough that she knew what would happen next.

"Are you done with your paper, Minister?" Sirius asked eagerly.

"Er- yes, yes I am. Why?" Fudge looked so taken aback Ginny would have laughed, had her situation not been so awkward.

"I... I miss doing the crossword."

What. A. Lame. Excuse. _Good thing Fudge is somewhat of a dimwit_, Ginny thought, stifling a giggle. _Only he would be taken in by that lie. The fool of a man didn't even think to question why Sirius hadn't asked for a pen as well._

The cell grew dark in front of Ginny's eyes. The smoky colors were rising again. "Until next time Sirius." she whispered, closing her eyes and allowing it to sweep her away into its nest of hands and voices.

**Author Note: Okay, so much better. I did try. But let's see... nope. I see angst and violence in the next chapter too. Sorry. I guess that's life. At least its life in a dark spell designed to drive Harry mad. What do you expect? Honestly. (Not that anyone's actually complained about the angstiness yet, but you never know!)**

_ShadowOnTheMoon- I worked the comment in! Ha! Now I doon't have to change it! ...it does make sense, right? I adore the help love. You, as all my actual reviewers do, rock my socks off!_

**Soon to be delivered if the server isn't shut downby flying monkeys: A momentary break from Sirius. I know it sucks, but he's _in_ the chapter, just not the first bit. We'll visit a past people may find familiar (yes, its from the books, just from Ginny's perspective). A big gold cup, as exciting as a graveyard... well... not under snow, and a funky spinning room. (NOT!) Nice to see you Bellatrix, you whiny obnoxious skank!**


	6. Chapter Five: Ties that Bind

**Disclaimer: Does anyone here think I own Harry Potter and Co? Didn't think so. Anyway, so as to avoid active sewage- I mean sue-age, I would like to state for all the world to hear that I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters. There. I said it. You can stop poking me in the back with that knife. /glares**

_Authors Note: I would just like to say real quickly that none of this story will be altered given the production of the Half-Blood Prince. **My storyline remains the same** so :P I don't care. There will also be no spoilers from said book, as I am not evil enough to do that to y'all. P.S. I FINALLY FINISHED IT. Go me. Not quite what I thought it would be but, hey, who am I to judge myself. I'm just glad I'm done, as pathetic as that is.  
_

**_Chapter Six_**

**_Ties that Bind _**

Ginny couldn't quite keep track of things after that. She very nearly lost consciousness for some time. When she came fully to she thought she saw Hermione lying petrified on a bed, hand frozen in the air as though she were holding something. She saw herself sobbing and passing out on the floor of the Chamber of Secrets (why was that included? Harry saved me! Ah, a nasty voice whispered in the back of her head, but he only came because of his guilt. He thinks he should've protected you from the beginning). She watched people sicken and die, she watched Cedric die, and she watched Sirius fall through the veil (yet another strange one- Harry knows he came back!).

This period of swirling emptiness was much shorter than the others. It must be because it was more recent. It was a very familiar stone chamber. Wearily, she looked down at the figures she floated over. Harry fought Lucius, Dumbledore fought Voldemort, and there she was, fighting Draco. She sighed, knowing what was coming. And, sure enough, there was the vortex she now knew so well.

Her other self threw herself into the hole and it closed behind her. The floating Ginny perked up- she hadn't seen this before. The scene was continuing. _Did something else happen after I left? _she wondered. _Something else to make Harry feel miserable?_

"You utter bastard" Harry snarled. Ginny was shocked. She had never seen him that furious before. Sad, yes, but never furious. His face was twisted up as he spun to look at Lucius. Even the blonde deatheater was suprised for a moment, before regaining control of his features.

"Yes?" he said, with a very Draco-like-petulant-teenager smirk. In retrospect, this may have been a bad move, as Harry began firing curses violently from his wand, not seeming to care what they were, as long as they were very, very bad.

The rest of the combat had taken a turn as well. Ron was fighting more fiercely, even than Harry. Everyone was bearing down. It looked as though it could only be a matter of time before they would win. Even Voldemort was showing signs of weakness.

And then it happened. The thing that would explain why Ginny was still there, watching. Draco, who had been lying against a wall, panting, since Ginny had vanished, got up. No one paid much attention to him and he managed to get just behind Harry. The invisible Ginny screamed at Harry to move, knowing that it would be know good.

Draco fired. Ginny wasn't sure quite what he'd sent at Harry, but it didn't matter. Harry crumpled and Lucius fled.

The black and red interlude returned. She couldn't take this anymore. She was going to go insane. Totally bonkers. She squeezed her eyes shut, praying for it to go away, to leave her be, to let her alone. All she wanted to do was curl up and cry. Having to see Harry's misery was almost more unbearable than her own would have been. She screamed into the mist, cursing the unfairness of it all...

And everything froze. One minute everything was swirling red and black and the next it was frozen in space. She just floated. She was still moving, but she could hear no voices, see no more faces, feel no more hands.

Then, out of nowhere, she heard a voice. It drifted, clear as a bell, through to her ears. It was Sirius. She could tell immediately. He sounded odd, as though he was had a head cold and was speaking through a thick piece of wool. "Hey Gin. I was cleaning out my old school trunk and I found this. It used to belong to a… a good…um…friend of mine. I, well, I thought you'd like it. Here." She felt something light on a slender chain fasten around her neck. Trying to look down, Ginny found that she could move. In fact, she could move as freely as if she were in the real world. A little voice in the back of her head whispered _uh-oh_ as the frozen swirls gave way to glittering stars and she fell.

She slammed hard into dirt floor,pine needles biting into her palmsand her whole body jarring from the shock. It was a darkened forest clearing. _Hey... wait..._ Ginny stared around in disbelief. It looked just like the clearing where she used to play. But everything was lit by a sort of pearly white light. She rotated slowly, taking it all in...

And she saw it.

A huge carved stone angel, like those in a graveyard. She looked up at her own face mirroring back at her, smiling softly, enveloped in that pure white light.

This. Was. So. Wierd. Was this another memory?

Ginny scrambled to her feet, trying to get her mind used to having to deal with gravity and human weakness once more. She bent down, brushing a bit of dirt off the plaque at the base of the statue.

_Virginia Anne Weasley_

_We will miss you_

She gasped. This wasn't a memory; there would have been people otherwise. At least, there had always been people before. She wasn't sure where she should go or what she was supposed to do. That last thing with Sirius had been different. She had actually _felt _the necklace go on...

The necklace! Ginny felt for it on her neck. It wasn't there. She looked wildly around before an idea struck her. Glancing up at the angel statue, she saw it. It was glittering, silver and beautiful around the angel's neck. She hesitated a moment and then clambered up to get it. _After all_, she reasoned, _Sirius had meant it for her._

It was even more beautiful up close than it had been on the statuesque throat. It was a heart-shaped locket engraved with vines and flowers and dangling from a fine silver chain. Of course, it wouldn't open. There was a tiny keyhole on it. Ginny shrugged to herself and fastened it around her neck.

She would ask Sirius about it when she got there.

O

The house looked warm and welcoming from where Ginny stood, shivering on the pavement outside. It hadn't even entered her mind to go home first. It just seemed natural to go to the one person she had seen consistently throughout her journey. At least, that's what she told herself to explain her presence. One minute she was looking at the necklace in the forest clearing and the next thing she knew she had apparated to Number 13 Grimmaud Place.

The windows were aglow with a warm light. Sirius must be home. She ran up the steps and, hesitating only for a moment, knocked on the door. A few seconds passed and she heard steps, slowly coming closer.

A million thoughts and doubts crowded her mind instantly. Was that even him? Did he still live here? Was he living with someone? That last thought had never occurred to her before. What if the person coming to answer the door wasn't Sirius, but some lovely woman she had never met and had no idea who she was? But it was to late now. The door was opening. She looked up, hopes and fears battering her mind for attention. The dark wood swung inward and she heard a tired "Yeah, who is i…" Sirius froze.

He stood there, looking at her blankly. She wasn't sure what he was thinking. It was almost as though he simply couldn't register her presence or identity. He looked tired, dark circles under his eyes and lines on his face she had never seen before. His hair was longer than when she had left, more like the Sirius she had seen back at Hogwarts so long ago.

Then he moved. Not towards her, but rather to the side, collapsing against the doorframe, still staring blankly at her.

"Ginny?" His voice rasped. He hated when that happened.

"Um… yeah" she said. "Hi. Uh… can I come in? Its sort of cold out here…" Her voice trailed off. This was not how she imagined this. She wasn't quite sure what she had expected, but her voice failing her was definitely _not_ it.

He started and moved away from the door, giving her room. "Sure, come in. …I was just having some tea. Are you hungry?"

Ginny realized that she was ravenous. She hadn't thought about food in so long, but at the word 'hungry', her stomach yowled in agreement.

Walking through the well-lit halls, she was surprised how much had changed. The house was warm and welcoming, with wood floors and crackling fires. They proceeded silently into a neat, blue tiled kitchen that was filled with the delicious aroma of raspberries and baking. Suddenly she was exhausted. She sank into a wooden chair Sirius pulled out for her.

"Thanks" she said, looking up at him. He didn't smile, though his eyes softened as he looked at her. He moved away abruptly and poured her a cup of tea

"Sugar? Milk?" he asked.

"A bit of both. Thanks" she said again. Taking the cup from him, she noticed that his hands were shaking.

He sat and looked at her. They sat that way for a while; Ginny ravenously devouring scones while Sirius drank his tea, still watching her. The food burned the roof of her mouth and she slowed down. Finally, sated, she looked at Sirius again.

She cleared her throat awkwardly. "It's… uh… great to see you again", she said, trying to break the ice. Once again, she didn't know what to expect. Ginny had only the vaguest idea of how long she'd been gone. What was he thinking?

Sirius answered her unspoken question. "…Yeah, its great to see you." Suddenly he was talking a mile a minute. "Where have you been? Seven years. Where were you? We had to declare you dead today!" The entire days happenings burst from him, like water from a broken dam.

Ginny had given herself credit enough to believe that she wouldn't cry. She had cried too much, she thought. Nothing could make her break down - she had no tears left. She was wrong. When Sirius told her about Molly breaking down, she started to cry, silent tears trickling down her face, unlike the hot, noisy tears of the void. The news about Hermione and Ron made her laugh, albeit sadly and haltingly. When he came to the end and his placement of the necklace, her hand flew to it, unconsciously.

"Whose was it?" she asked.

He hesitated. Then, "Lily's" he said simply.

"Oh"

"And what about you? Are you ever going to tell me what happened, or do I have to guess?" He sounded lighter now, more like his old self. She wondered whether it was the act of telling the story, or had her tears simply calmed his shock.

So she started her story. He started in disbelief when she told him about being Anne. Realization started to dawn on his face, the more she talked. As she hit more and more painful moments, his eyes moistened as well, though he didn't cry. Midway through describing the burned down house, he rose abruptly. She glanced up at him, surprised. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing" he said, harshly. Glancing at her confused face, he fumbled for an excuse. "Uh... let's go into the parlor, its more comfortable. And there's a fire. You look cold." He moved off quickly. Ginny rose and followed.

He was right, it was more comfortable. She sank deep into the cushions and he sat next to her. "Okay" she said. "What's _really _wrong?"

"Nothing." he muttered again.

"Sure. I'd believe you, except for the small fact that I don't. I've just spent the past couple days... or, in your view, years hanging out with you, basically. So don't think I don't know when you're lying to me."

He looked at her and burst out laughing. She was looking at him defiantly, arms crossed across her chest. Hesitatingly, she started laughing too. Then she repeated her question. "What's wrong?"

Sirius sighed, rubbing a hand across his eyes. "...It's just hard. Listening to you, I keep thinking back. What if I'd known what was going on? You tried to warn me in the school, and then, at the meeting. If I'd only known you were there. And I keep wondering what I would have done differently if I'd known you were real that night at the house. To be quite truthful, I thought you were a hallucination." He sighed again, tiredly. "I suppose that was you at the prison?" She nodded. "Where else did you go?"

She ran down the list. "The school, the meeting, the house, oh- I was there when you caught Pettigrew. I was one of the muggles who was killed." He groaned. "I was at the prison. I saw the Chamber of Secrets, the Triwizard Tournament, and I... uh... saw myself." She paused, momentarily confused. "Yeah, I saw myself, when I threw myself into Harry and got caught in the void. And I stayed until Lucius got away. I think I would have seen more; the void was sort of self-adapting. Anyway, after that one, the void froze. It was even stranger than usual. I think... I mean, I know I heard you. I felt you put the necklace on the statue too. Then I fell into the clearing. I took the necklace and came straight here." Ginny glanced at him. He was looking at her strangely. "What?" she asked.

"Why did you come here first?"

"I don't know, quite honestly. I was standing there, looking at the statue and I thought about you and apparated here. I don't know why."

He was still looking at her. Just looking at her. "You have no idea?" he asked gently.

She blushed slightly. "Fine! You want to know?" she said fiercely. He nodded.

"I... you're the only person I was really close to through this entire thing. You kept turning up. I think you were in every place I went too. I couldn't help it. Then, I don't know, I just started realizing things I didn't before." She blushed again, more intensely. "Don't make me say more. I've already demeaned myself enough- crying like that and everything. I'll just go." She started to rise and he grabbed her arm, pulling her back.

"Gin..." he said, his dark eyes bright and intense. "Don't go. Please." He smiled at her gently, willing her to stay.

Slowly, she sat back down next to him. She was out. She was back. Hermione and Ron were getting married. The war was over. Sirius was here. The future had never looked brighter or more full of hopes and possibilities. Looking at him, she fancied she saw the pain of his past agonies, the calm of the present, and all the anticipation of the future rolled up in his eyes.

But then, she'd always had an over-active imagination.

She stayed.

_End._


End file.
